Journal 5: Day 2 Observations and Concerns

I love the kids at Jordan. Within our two classes, we have very different groups of kids. The first period acting class is outspoken, funny, and full of personality. But it's difficult to keep them focused, and I have to admit I'm unsure if they are taking the material very seriously. It feels like some of them are in acting class because they thought it would be easy, and a handful of them really don't like getting up in front of the class. Some of them really don't want to participate, and I'm not sure how to get them involved. I could be wrong, but I feel that in an art class, it's easier to engage with students one on one on a project, but acting requires them to interact with others. In a limited class period, it's hard to give attention to everyone.
Our 10th graders are very different. There are definitely a few talkers, but the majority of them are typical, well-behaved students. They follow directions and ask lots of questions – probably because they are used to coming into their English class when we are there, so they know it's time to work. Both groups provide interesting challenges and environments for us to teach in.
Today, I think the success of our lesson could be attributed to having them work in groups. It enabled them to create a scene without having to do it totally spontaneously (like the last session) and they had each other to create dialogue with. It also gave Iliana and I an opportunity to talk with them more personally, as we went around the room to each group to see how they were working together. The acting class especially were much more open to sharing their ideas with me when I was talking to their group, but when I asked them to share what we had talked about with the class, they were more hesitant to voice their opinion. I want to be put more pressure on them to speak up and volunteer to talk, but it's difficult when kids keep responding with "I don't know…" I'd like to know what tactics other people have utilized to enable their students to make connections with their lessons and ideas.